Who am I?

London has been my home and birthplace and I’ve lived in the east, north, west and now south. From an early age, the history of the city intrigued me. What other metropolis on earth has a Manhattan-style financial centre skyline in the City of London sitting alongside an 11th century castle, 18th century town houses and Victorian monuments with Roman ruins below street level?

I’ve seen huge changes in London during my life. Back in the 1970s, the east end still had a big Jewish presence and you could see and sense the legacy of World War 2. Today, the east has experienced a wave of gentrification and luxury apartments have radically changed the character of this part of London. Where I live now was developed by a French Protestant family fleeing persecution in their home country in the 17th century. In the 1980s, it saw urban rioting. Now, it’s increasingly home to middle class creative and media types – like myself I suppose.

I’m a published author with my biography of former professional boxer Errol Christie being shortlisted for best sports biography of 2011. I also co-wrote the biography of Neville Staple, former vocalist in legendary 80s ska band The Specials. Both books published by Aurum Press, part of Quarto.

As a historian with a beard, I appear on TV to shed light on historical mysteries and spark interest in anything from the private lives of famous monarchs to the clandestine rituals of the Knights Templar.

In 2014, my first foray into historical fiction – Quest for the True Cross – was published by Euromedia in the Czech Republic in hardback and is available through Amazon for download in English. Click HERE to go to the Quest For the True Cross website. Or join over 11,000 followers on FACEBOOK

Quest For the True Cross – based on a real crusading story from the 12th century